Riyadh airport shutdown cuts Saudi cargo capacity by one‑third
Written by AI from 8 reports listed below. Not checked by a person before publication. How we use AI
A shutdown of King Khalid International Airport after attacks has reduced Saudi Arabia’s international air‑cargo capacity by about 33% and led several airlines to suspend or postpone services.
Cargo capacity loss
Combined inbound and outbound capacity on freighters and wide‑body passenger aircraft across Saudi Arabia fell 33% to 7,292 tonnes, a decline of 3,537 tonnes, after the airport shutdown. Capacity at Riyadh fell from 3,925 tonnes to 26 tonnes, a 99% reduction.
Airline service suspensions
Air France‑KLM suspended its Riyadh services until the end of October, Etihad cancelled Abu Dhabi–Riyadh flights until 19 October, and Delta postponed the launch of its Atlanta–Riyadh service from 23 October to March 2027.
Airport closure period
King Khalid International Airport was declared unavailable until 9 p.m. UTC on 17 October, with the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation extending the suspension while safety checks were completed.
Other reports state the closure was extended until 17 October and that the airport remained closed until Monday evening.
Casualties from the attack
The Houthi attack on the airport killed at least 12 people. Reported injuries vary, with one source citing more than 300 injured and another reporting 50 injured.
What's still unclear
Injury figures differ between reports (more than 300 versus 50 injured). The exact date the airport reopened is reported as either Monday evening or 17 October.
Analysed 8 reports from 8 publishers
Used in this story
- theloadstar.com
- traveldailynews.com
- moodiedavittreport.com
- airlinegeeks.com
- aviationpros.com
- aviation24.be
- airlive.net
- heraldglobe.com